Gators get a shot at redemption against Commodores

Certainly, Gator fans are hoping Florida-Vanderbilt Part III will end in a different fashion.

Kevin Brockway @gatorhoops

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Like it or not, Florida will get a third shot at Vanderbilt to open SEC Tournament play Friday night.

The seventh-seeded Commodores beat 10th seed Texas A&M 66-41 in the SEC Tournament in Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night, setting up a third meeting with the Gators in the quarterfinals.

Certainly, Gator fans are hoping Florida-Vanderbilt Part III will end in a different fashion. Vanderbilt is the only SEC team to knock off Florida twice this season, beating the Gators 68-66 in Gainesville in January and 73-71 last Saturday at Memorial Gym. Vanderbilt rallied from down nine points at halftime and 12 points with 12 minutes remaining to beat the Gators at home.

”You’ve got to give them credit,” Florida senior forward Canyon Barry said earlier this week. “They've played close games against us. At the same time, we haven't played our best when we've played them. Just defensive miscommunications, not playing great defense, giving up transition 3s, open 3s, bad switches, miscommunication. I mean, you go down the line. So whoever we play, we’ll be ready.”

Florida coach Mike White and his entire staff — assistants Dusty May, Jordan Mincy and Darris Nichols — took in Vandy’s rout of Texas A&M courtside. The extra scouting was needed to figure out how to deal with Vanderbilt’s diverse offensive attack. Vanderbilt broke open a 23-20 halftime lead against Texas A&M by going 9 of 15 from 3-point range in the second half.

“Vanderbilt, they're as unique a team as there is in our league to defend,” White said. “They play five guys beyond the arc. Their center shoots it like a two-guard. They're very complex. They just have you spread. Sometimes it can be a very difficult matchup for certain front-court guys, certainly some of ours. We've got to find five guys … that can get a couple of stops, that can defend them.”

In its win in Gainesville, Vanderbilt settled the issue from beyond the arc, going 10 of 25 from 3-point range. In its 73-71 win last Saturday, Vanderbilt won the game by getting 36 points in the paint, including 24 points from center Luke Kornet.

To try to take away the 3-point line in the second meeting against Vanderbilt, White went with smaller lineups to guard the perimeter. Florida starting center Kevarrius Hayes played just 10 minutes, while centers Gorjok Gak and Schuyler Rimmer saw no time off the bench.

Asked if he would do anything differently in its third meeting against Vanderbilt, White said: “If we had a month to put in different zones and gimmicks. We just don't have that time. In the next couple of days, to be honest with you, we might tinker with some stuff. But nothing that I'm sure by Friday we'll feel very confident in riding.”

Following UF’s loss at Vanderbilt, senior point guard Kasey Hill said he would love a third shot at the Commodores so the Gators could beat them this season. Barry said the Gators should have an advantage with the bye after Vanderbilt played Thursday night.

The Gators arrived in Nashville early Thursday morning and went through mid-morning practice at Bridgestone Arena. On Monday, Florida held a team meeting to discuss the state of the team heading into postseason play. Florida is 3-2 since starting center John Egbunu went down with a torn ACL and is 1-2 in its last three games.

“It was really about setting the stage and taking in perspective about what’s around the corner, what are the potentials for this team,” White said. “You’ve got to take it Friday night first, and that’s it. Obviously the bigger picture is you’re playing for seeding, you’re playing potentially for an opportunity for a championship and all those things … and you don’t have much time left.

“Hopefully we can peak this week and play our best basketball, save our best basketball for right now. It’s going to take a ton of mental toughness, of course, with the quick turns. And mental focus, which hasn’t been one of our big strengths.”

Contact Kevin Brockway at 352-374-5054 or kevin.brockway@gvillesun.com. Also check out Brockway's blog at Gatorsports.com.